Having been ringside for the first heavyweight title fight between Deontay Wilder and Bermane Stiverne in early 2015 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, it was surprising to hear the next day that Stiverne was supposedly dehydrated during the 12 rounds of action, after which Wilder was declared the new world champion via wide decision.

Stiverne did not appear that way. He fought hard, but was simply out-fought. It made one wonder. Sure, Stiverne and his promoter – Don King – said the hospital Stiverne went to afterward confirmed his condition.

But how does someone who does not have to make weight for a fight, enter one dehydrated? And if he became that way during the fight, then that’s on Stiverne and his camp for not taking the proper steps to make sure that didn’t occur.

It seemed more like an excuse to explain why Wilder won the bout by nine, 11 and 13 points.

King and Stiverne said at the time they were hopeful of a rematch. Saturday, some two years and 10 months later, Wilder and Stiverne will duke it out again. This time they’ll tangle at Barclays Center in Brooklyn (on Showtime), with Wilder looking to make his sixth successful defense.

Stiverne, of Las Vegas via Haiti, vows the boxing world will see a different fighter.

“He already gave me his best,” Stiverne said. “I had nothing last fight. But now I’m a very dangerous man. Everybody here knows what time it is. I feel great and I feel strong. There will be no excuses this time.

“I can guarantee you this – I’m 100 percent this time.”

Of course, I’m sure Stiverne said that before the first go-round. Don’t they always? But to Wilder, it’s nothing but a bunch of baloney.

“We’ve heard Bermane Stiverne say these same things before,” Wilder said. “We’ve heard it all before. What happened the first time? Everybody knows. Hopefully, he doesn’t get dehydrated this time.”

In Wilder’s mind, there wasn’t a thing wrong with Stiverne in 2015, other than being in the ring with a superior fighter.

“There’s nothing different that he can bring to the table,” Wilder said. “He brought everything he could bring the first time. He brought all his tricks, all his power. There’s nothing he’s going to be able to do this time.

“The only thing he’s going to be able to do is pick his spot on the ground where he’s going to lay at.”

All of Stiverne’s talk and alibis do not sit well with Wilder. He made no bones about that during Thursday’s final news conference.

“This just turned up into a whole other level,” Wilder said. “The ambulance better be ready. The medical teams better be ready. The referee better be ready. They better have that towel to be able to throw it in because every blow is going to mean something.

“This just got even more personal.”

Make no mistake, Stiverne (25-2-1, 21 KOs) is no bum. He can box a little bit, and he does hit hard. It would not be shocking to see him emerge victorious.

If nothing else, Stiverne seems confident.

“Deontay said he fears for my life,” Stiverne said. “Well, I don’t fear for his life. I’m going to do whatever it takes to grab that title. And I’ll walk away with a smile on my face.”

Stiverne had a nice little bit of trash he spoke directly to Wilder.

“You caught me sleeping last time,” he told the champion. “Nobody is going to be sleeping this time. I’m going to be on you all night. It’s over for you.”

Stiverne is motivated, to be sure. Wilder (38-0, 37 KOs) is as well, for a different reason. Stiverne is the only fighter he hasn’t stopped inside the distance.

“Stiverne was the only man to survive the ‘Alabama Slammer’ and avoid a knockout,” said the fighter from Tuscaloosa. “When I knock him out, then nobody will be able to say they made it through against me.”

Dmitry Bivol vs. Trent Broadhurst

When Badou Jack vacated the WBA’s version of the light heavyweight title, the organization elevated interim champion Dmitry Bivol of Russia to full champion.

On Saturday, Bivol (11-0, 9 KOs) will defend his title against Trent Broadhurst (20-1, 12 KOs) of Australia from Casino de Monte Carlo in Monte Carlo (on HBO).

Now that Andre Ward has retired, Bivol sees this as a chance to make a move toward being the division’s next star.

“Yes, definitely, we think that,” said Bivol, just 26. “Now being a WBA world champion, I think this definitely stands for me being part of the game in the light heavyweight division.

“There’s a lot going on, but my goal right now is to perform well on TV and give everybody the show that they want to see. I see a lot of opportunities that I can undertake in the division in the near future.”

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